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Rahul's claim

Rahul Gandhi's remark that the Babri Masjid would not have been demolished had a person from the Gandhi family been active in politics then smacks of ignorance and dynastic arrogance. More shockingly, none of the senior leaders, who were witness to the incident in 1992 and are occupying positions in the UPA Government and the Congress now, has uttered a dissenting word. It appears Rahul has forgotten the Rajiv Gandhi Government's flirtation with `soft Hindutva' that helped the Ram Janmabhoomi campaign of the sangh parivar.

Satish R. Murdeshwar,Pune

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The Babri Masjid and Bofors are two issues that will keep echoing as long as the Nehru-Gandhi family remains active in politics. Rahul's claim on the Babri Masjid smacks of his dynastic desire to rule in perpetuity.

There was indeed a whiff of fresh air when Narasimha Rao was Prime Minister. He propelled liberalisation and encouraged politics of consensus. We gained as a country more when a non-Nehru ruled.

N. Nagaraja Rao,Secunderabad

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Fourteen years after the demolition and on the eve of the Uttar Pradesh elections, Rahul disclosed that his father had told his mother that he would stand in front of the Babri Masjid to prevent its being harmed. Though the Gandhi family was not in power in 1992, Sonia Gandhi and family could have appealed for the safety of the Masjid. They made no such attempt, which only exposes the hollowness of Rahul's backdated claim.

J. Prabhakar,Hyderabad

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No party has ever encouraged dialogue between Hindus and Muslims to resolve the Ayodhya dispute. A negotiated settlement alone will help to end the confrontation. Why can't the Congress employ its energies towards implementing some of the recommendations of the Rajinder Sachar committee to improve the lot of Muslims socially and economically?

V. Viswanath,Kurnool

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The BJP has no moral right to criticise Rahul for his remark. What Rajiv Gandhi did was well within the law. Narasimha Rao allowed the crowd to gather at Ayodhya only after getting an assurance from Kalyan Singh, then Chief Minister, that the Masjid would not be harmed. The people will never forget the BJP's breach of trust, which resulted in the loss of innocent lives across the country. Every one criticised Narasimha Rao for his inaction. What is wrong in Rahul's remarks? Of course, raking up the past is not going to help in Uttar Pradesh's transformation.